to my daughters carrying daughters on the 24th of June 2022
Photo by Luana Azevedo on Unsplash
this poem came through the morning after i had spent the afternoon and evening at a beautiful blessingway gathering for one of my spirit daughters who is soon excepting her first child - a daughter. sitting next to me in this sweet circle were my daughter, who is also excepting a daughter, and her three-year-old daughter. it was a circle of powerful women, and i was the oldest by far.
much of the day, i sat in silence (which, if you know me, is quite unusual), struggling with the news of the outrageous, but sadly not unexpected, U.S. Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. as i listened to all the words of love, songs, stories and advice being shared, i felt not quite there as kept thinking of the potentially devastating effect this decision could have on all of their lives and the lives of millions of other women. that this could very well be the next step in an unfolding story the vast majority of us don’t want to see come true. as much as i was there in body celebrating, my heart was breaking and my thoughts were raging. i just couldn’t think of anything to say that wouldn’t bring everyone down.
then, as i sat at the feet of this new mother-to-be, anointing them with oil i had made from herbs grown in my own garden, it all came flooding in. i could barely contain the tears as i sat, remembering in my bones, that we have done this for thousands of years. that we women have sat in circles just like this, often in secret, often in defiance of the “powers that be,” to care for each other and the ones to come. i was overcome with gratitude at having the privliege of performing this sacred act for someone i love so very much. the words were still not there, but the feelings had finally burst through the overwhelm.
that night, as i lay reflecting on the day, feeling so grateful to share it with my daughter and granddaugther, the phrases “the grandmother in me wants to say a few things to the grandmothers in you” and “we will still celebrate“ came through. i knew the poem would arrive soon. and, as they almost always do, it arrived the next morning in a rush of words i could not contain- just arrange and polish. i offer them with all the love in my heart and fierce dedication to a beautiful future for all.
the grandmother in
me wants to say a few things
to the grandmothers
in you who carry
your own grandchildren in the
embryonic wombs
of your daughters, now
mothers formed through the living
mystery of life.
for, as yesterday
upon yesterday passes,
and for tomorrows
to come, as long as
we can still sit in circles
like this, we will still
celebrate. for as
long as we can still sit in
circles like this, we
will sing songs born of
ancient memory, bathe the
feet of those who are
walking forward with
our future, anoint their sweet
bodies in oil made
from the herbs with whom
we have partnered for thousands
of years. we will still
celebrate. as one
grandmother to another,
i see you, wise old
women beyond the
knowing of any body
of men sitting in
judgment of our free
choices, our actions, our words.
i hear you fierce ones,
standing, new daughters
in your arms, giving voice to
the silence which has
lived in this body
for far too long. i feel you
rising, strong, soft, kind,
resolute, resourced,
nurtured, courageous, and not
alone, as you walk,
growing young daughters
by your side, forward toward
a future deeply
unknown, paid for by
generations of women
who walked before us.
from one grandmother
to another, i want you
to know you will have
my shoulders to stand
upon, even when i am
on my deathbed. you
will have my voice to
borrow when you are too tired
to speak. you will have
my arms to hold you
when you feel alone. you will
have my heart beating
behind yours, back and
back, in the long, long line of
grandmothers who came
before us saying,
“yes, we are with you. yes, you,
too, were born for this.”
please consider supporting my work by becoming a Patron. thank you!